Following examination hearings held in December, the examiner issued his report (12-page / 152KB PDF) on the DCS earlier this month. He said that the charging schedule provided an appropriate basis for the collection of CIL in the area, subject to the Council inserting maps to define the residential zone boundaries and adding clarification that residential development includes all categories of use class C3, but excludes affordable housing and self build units.
The examiner said that both modifications were based on matters discussed during the public examination hearings and did not "alter the basis of the Council's overall approach or the appropriate balance achieved".
The Council had proposed to set residential rates of £40 per square metre for development in urban areas and £80 per sq m for development in all other areas. For supermarkets and retail warehouses it had proposed a district-wide rate of £100 per sq m and for hotels it had proposed a rate of £10 per sq m. A draft nil rate levy had been set for all other types of development.
The examiner said that both the residential rates were reasonable and would not threaten the viability of the "vast majority" of new housing development needed to deliver the housing requirements set out in the Council's Core Strategy.
He said that the proposed retail rate would be affordable "under most anticipated local circumstances that accord with relevant adopted planning policies and thus contribute to the delivery of the Core Strategy by helping to raise funds".
The Council said it anticipates to adopt CIL in October 2014.
